Bold
by Mierinn
Summary: The first time Rose Weasley ever talked to him, he was sitting in a compartment by himself. Her opening words were: "What's so great about you, Malfoy, anyway?"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I don't know where this is going. Probably nowhere. I might add up other random Scorpius/Rose stuff in the future, depending on whether you like this or not. Won't make any promises, though!

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><p><strong>1.<strong>

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><p>The first time Rose Weasley ever talked to him, he was sitting in a compartment by himself.<p>

His mates had seemingly vanished into thin air ever since the train had started its engines. He was tired and didn't really feel like doing much of anything.

Quidditch practices were probably going to be obscenely early in the morning once he got to Hogwarts, as per usual, so he figured the best he could do was doze off for a few hours, until his mates decided they'd had their fair share of pranking people and picking up girls.

Normally, he'd be inclined to join in, but that day he just felt_ lazy_. He'd have a whole year to do all that anyway, so missing out on one day was hardly important.

But this was about the first time Rose Weasley ever truly talked to Scorpius Malfoy.

It wasn't the first time they_ spoke_; obviously that had happened before, seeing they had always been in the same year and shared a few classes together.

An actual conversation between them that didn't involve potion ingredients or some other variation of school work prior to this, though? There was none whatsoever.

It was on their trip to Hogwarts and they were going to begin their sixth year.

As Scorpius was happily occupying more than his fair share of the compartment space, so he'd be comfortable enough to sleep, the door slid open swiftly and rather harshly, startling him into opening his eyes.

He was faced with Rose Weasley, already in her Hogwarts robes, with a Prefect badge hanging from her pressed clothing.

It was the way she stood there, though, that somehow made it alarming. Rose was halfway in, halfway out of the compartment, her hand still on the door and an annoyed look plastered across her face.

Her opening words were: "What's so great about you, Malfoy, anyway?" No kidding.

Scorpius jolted upright. "Sorry?" he frowned, feeling confused.

"I asked," she repeated slowly, emotion replaced with a cold look. "What's so _damn_ great about you, anyway?"

"My, my, for someone so posh, you sure have a mouth on you, Weasley," he looked amused. Rose decided to ignore his retort.

"Excuse me, but I've been on this train for four sodding hours and half that time has been spent hearing my dim-witted dormmates talking about _you_, so I decided to ask, since I had to come look for you anyway," she wrinkled her nose.

Scorpius, a boy well-aware of the fact that he drew quite the bit of female attention - even though he didn't, to his credit, take that much advantage of it - smirked at her statement.

"I could show you," he gave her a meaningful look after roaming his eyes over her, half expecting her to blush or turn away. Something cliché like that.

Except she didn't. "Could you now?" Rose looked at him a little disbelievingly, then closed the door behind her and stood with her back to it. "Then by all means do."

Scorpius's eyes widened slightly with shock. Despite his usual nonchalance and debonair attitude, he found himself a bit tongue-tied; Rose's face was actually serious and she looked as though she was waiting for him to do something.

"S-seriously?" he asked, trying to school his features into their normal disinterested look, but failing epically.

He had to be dreaming, he thought. Because_ a)_ girls weren't usually that bold and _b) _even if Rose had been avoiding him like the plague all their academic life and only vaguely acknowledged his existence, he was acutely conscious of _hers_.

Rose was beautiful. Slim figure, dark brown hair with hints of red in it and intelligent brown eyes that sort of drew you in. She had high cheekbones and a decently full set of lips, with a petite nose.

A guy would have to be blind not to notice her. At least, that's what Scorpius thought.

If he was honest about it, Scorpius would be more than eager to show her how great he was, if she really wanted him to.

"Well?" she leaned heavier against the door and lifted an eyebrow at him, as if challenging him.

Merlin, was he enthralled.

Scorpius got up, moving to close the gap between them. He was 6'1'' tall and towered over her rather easily, since she was only 5'4''.

He leaned his head down and she leaned hers back. Scorpius smirked again, putting his hand on the wall beside her head.

"Malfoy?" Rose whispered seductively, when his face was little more than two inches away from hers. She played with the collar of his shirt.

"Yes?" Scorpius asked, using the break to grab a strand of hair falling into her eyes and tuck it behind her ear.

She smiled sweetly. A wide, seemingly genuine smile that lit up her eyes and was quite the spectacle to see from up close.

"Did you honestly think I'd let a perfect stranger kiss me?" she shoved him off hard rolling her eyes, her smile gone. Scorpius had been completely unprepared for her antics, so naturally he fell backwards into an awkward sitting position on the bench.

"I'm not a stranger, we've known each other since we were eleven!" he argued defensively, frowning at her.

"Flawed logic. We've been _aware_ of each other since we were eleven. But you don't know me and I don't know you," Rose stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, that's not so much my fault, as it is yours, isn't it?" Scorpius asked, a rare sincere tone to his voice.

"Maybe," Rose replied after a few seconds of apparently losing herself in thought.

Whatever she was contemplating, the way she was biting her lip made him regret not having gone straight to kiss her, before she'd had the chance to make that smart little comment of hers.

"Have a hard time admitting to the truth, do you?" Scorpius teased with a smirk.

"Maybe," Rose repeated, a lopsided smile on her lips as she focused her attention back to him.

"So... If you really _don't_ want me to show you what's so special about me, why did you come by at all?" it was his turn to raise an eyebrow.

"You do know you're also a Prefect, don't you? We have a meeting. Dennis Wood - Head boy, in case you're wondering - told me to come get you and Ravenclaw's Janine Ridgewater, since you're both missing it" Rose pursed her lips, obviously not that happy about it.

"Why did he ask you to, though? Serena could've come to get me, she's the Slytherin girl Prefect after all," Scorpius reasoned.

Rose sighed. "Good point. Thing is I always sit closest to the door, to get out of meetings as fast as I humanly can, you know? But it sort of back-fired this time around. It turns out people nearest to the exit in a cramped room make for the best tracking-other-Prefects-down forced volunteers."

He laughed. "To be honest I had completely forgotten about the meeting. I was quite peacefully sleeping before you stormed in. Well, at least until you got all sexy and woke me all up," he smirked, eyeing her intensely.

Rose's response was to roll her eyes yet again. It amused him that she didn't show any sign of embarrassment. "Oh, get over it, will you? I was just mocking you."

"You're such a tease, Weasley," Scorpius got up and moved towards her. This time it made her jump back a little and she frowned.

"What are you doing?" Rose hissed, apparently a little intimidated by having his lean tall figure so close to hers.

He motioned innocently towards the door, shifting his course at the last minute. "Getting to that meeting, of course."

"Oh no, you aren't! Go get Ridgewater. I'm going back. It took me like 40 minutes to find you and Wood will be pissed if I'm gone much longer. You, on the other hand, are going to hear him rant anyway, so you might as well spare me from it," she smiled another bright smile, showing her nearly perfect white teeth.

Scorpius noticed one of her front teeth was a little crooked, but in a way that was barely noticeable and made her smile unique.

Rose quickly slid past him out the door, heading towards the front of the train, where the Prefects' compartment was located.

"Weasley, you can't just walk away from me! I'm not picking Janine up, she's not even my type," he called after her once he was in the corridor.

Rose half-turned to raise an eyebrow at him. "And that concerns me because?"

Scorpius leaned against the wall. "We could always skip the meeting of the dork lords and get to know each other. You know, so we won't be strangers anymore," his innocent look wasn't fooling anybody; his smile was full of double intentions.

"Sod off, Malfoy!" Rose resumed walking.

"Okay, carry on then. I'm just going to watch the pretty sway of your hips from here," he added, in an attempt to baffle her.

Rose walked back to him. When Scorpius noticed the mischief in her eyes and the fact that she didn't even look mad, his face fell a little, because he didn't know what to expect.

"You know, Malfoy, I've just figured what's so great about you," there it was. That seductive voice and the look in her eye, both of which made him want to ravish her. Scorpius moved closer.

"And what is that?" he was genuinely curious.

"Your height. Because your brains surely mustn't do much work in there, despite how you're the third best student in our year," her tone was flat and she looked downright bored. It was fantastic how quickly she could swing between expressions.

Scorpius didn't miss a beat. "Aware of my ranking _and_ complimenting my height? I'm touched, Weasley, didn't know you were so fond of me," he smirked.

Rose chuckled, shaking her head with disbelief. "You have a comeback for all of my implied insults, without resorting to insulting me back, huh?"

"I'm a gentleman," he affirmed smugly.

"You know what, Malfoy?" she asked suddenly.

Scorpius obliged her. "Pray tell, my lady."

"I think I like you," she smiled again. The more she did, the more he wondered why he kept noticing how gorgeous her smile was.

"Likewise. Except I'm rather sure that I do," he lowered his voice as though he was revealing a big secret.

Rose's smile spread wider, igniting a genuine grin in Scorpius.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** So, first things first: I don't think this story will have a traditional timeline. What I mean by that is that the chapters will not necessarily follow right from where the previous one left. In this case, these particular events would be around a month after they arrived at Hogwarts, while not seeing much of each other in the meantime.

I think anything fast-paced wouldn't really make sense in the way I see things for them and I thought it'd be more interesting to see how Scorpius and Rose got to know each other in this way. But I digress... Sorry if it doesn't quite fulfill your expectations for chapter two, but like I said, I didn't want them to be all up in each other after years of barely even interacting, because it feels unnatural to me.

Thank you so much to anyone who favorited, followed and to the people who were nice enough to give me feedback! Reviews are always welcome, as is constructive criticism. A penny for your thoughts?

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><p><strong><strong>2.<strong>**

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><p>"Malfoy! You startled me," Rose turned to face him, squinting her eyes and looking through the gaps between her fingers, as Scorpius pointed his lit wand at her face.<p>

A noise akin to hoofs trotting away hung in the air, but he was barely able to discern it over the sound of his accelerated heartbeat.

"I startled you? You were speaking to a damn centaur and _I_ startled you?" Scorpius was positive Rose was bonkers. Beautiful and terribly smart, but bonkers all the same.

"Oh, shut up, it's not such a big deal. What are you doing here, anyway?" she asked, as she lit up her own wand and started moving towards him.

"Don't try to divert my attention. Why exactly areyou out here by yourself? The Forbidden Forest is mostly off limits for a reason. Not to mention it's dangerous, especially on your own and after dark," Scorpius frowned at her nonchalant shrug and followed Rose on her way back to the edge of the forest that led to Hogwarts.

"It might have been in the days of our parents, but it's much safer now. At least on this part of the woods. I think they just like to keep up the mystery," she made a dismissive gesture with her hand.

"Safe is probably not the best word to describe a creepy forest after dusk, which has nightmare-ish beasts and Merlin knows what else living in it," Scorpius said flatly.

Rose shrugged again. He was upset with her seeming lack of good judgement when it came to her own safety.

"Damn Gryffindors and their poorly placed bravery," Scorpius muttered darkly.

"What did you say?" she asked, stopping just as they were but a couple of strides from exiting the woods.

"Nothing. Just that you should be more careful," Scorpius said in a serious unabashed tone, the lie easily rolling off his tongue without guilt.

Rose searched his face and found that he was upset, though she could not make sense of it. She sighed and spoke after a moment. "Look, I was here as a favor to Ms. Windmere, okay? No one is supposed to know."

"The Infirmary nurse?" he frowned, confused. "And that's rich, coming from the girl who a few weeks back rubbed it in my face I had duties and responsibilities as a Prefect," at this he smirked a little.

"Ha! Well played," she smiled, not bothered by his teasing tone. "Yes, the nurse."

When she didn't add any sort of explanation, he pressed on. "Why would she ask a student, of all people, to come to the woods at night? And that still doesn't explain the centaur!"

"I cannot tell you, Malfoy," Rose walked out of the forest, making her way towards the castle.

"Oi, you can't just walk away like that!" he sped after her. Naturally, even though Rose quickened her pace, he caught up with her easily. Scorpius put himself in front of her. "I have to handle detention with a couple of second year Slytherins, along with Professor Bergstein and Serena. I have both a reason _and_ permission to be here! You, so far, have not given me a sound explanation."

"Look, it's none of your business, it's Ms. Windmere's. Would you just let it go?" Rose raised her arms in the air.

"You didn't say please," Scorpius almost laughed at her infuriated expression.

Rose sighed, looking annoyed. "Plea-?" She didn't get to finish her sentence.

"Ah ah ah. It's too late for that now. You better tell me or else I might have to report you," his smug expression was met with a sly smile.

"After the War, the nasty things that once dwelled here have all but recoiled to deep dark holes beyond the heart of the forest, if they remain at all. This place is, of course, still not for people to take strolls in, but it is fairly harmless if you don't linger for long. Since the Treaty of 2001, centaurs have been allies of the school and they assist the staff occasionally and vice-versa. So there, everything is fine and dandy, Malfoy," her smile was a bit unnerving, considering she hadn't even seemed troubled with the prospect of a lecture from one of the Professors.

"Okay, that does explain the centaur, somewhat, but it still doesn't give me a reason not to deduct points from Gryffindor," he added, as if trying to make her react somehow.

"The centaur's name is Tidolus Pesates. Good luck with deducting points out of someone you can't see," it was her turn to look smug, as she vanished into thin air in a matter of a few seconds.

"What? Weasley, get back here!" he whipped his head in every direction he could and turned around, but no sign of Rose was visible. "Weasley! Come back!" when no reply came, he shouted: "I hadn't even extorted a date to Hogsmeade out of you yet!"

Scorpius could have sworn he heard her laugh from afar.

"Mr Malfoy, is something the matter?" he turned to find the Slytherin second years and Professor Bergstein giving him weird looks.

They looked positively about to ship him off to Saint Mungus, so he reasoned telling them he was shouting after a girl who had vanished into thin air was probably not the best of ideas.

Even for wizards, considering Apparition was impossible on Hogwarts' grounds due to its powerful wards, that would seem rather unlikely.

It was only after weeks of research that he found out about Invisibility Cloaks. Scorpius banged his head against his desk then, thinking himself an idiot.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I noticed recently that I forgot the classic disclaimer, so here: I own nothing but my plot bunnies, everything you recognize is J. K. Rowling's. Yadda yadda.

I'd like to know what your thoughts are for this chapter! So when you're done reading (if you get through it, that is), I promise the review box doesn't bite and I'd really appreciate the feedback.

Thank you so much, again, to anyone who left a review or favorited/followed. You're awesome!

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><p><strong>3.<strong>

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><p>"Come to Hogsmeade with me," Scorpius was walking alongside Rose, after a shared Charms class. They were heading to yet another Prefect meeting.<p>

Rose snorted. "Why?"

"Because I'd like you to," he answered honestly.

"Why?" she repeated, looking ahead and carrying her books tight against her chest. There was a hint of a smile on the corner of her lips.

"You said we were strangers. That day in September on the train, remember? I want that to change," Scorpius kept his eyes trained on her as they drifted through the hallways.

"Why?" this time the smile grew to a full one, even though she still wouldn't face him. Rose knew she was annoying him and enjoying every bit of it.

"For a girl with an above average IQ and magical skills, your vocabulary seems a bit short at the moment," he taunted her.

They paused as they reached the moving stairs. She looked at Scorpius then. "You've seemed perfectly fine with taking other girls to Hogsmeade and not fraternizing much with me for the past few years. I'm just wondering why the sudden interest," she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, there'd be nothing 'fraternal' about it. As I understand, you've already got a brother, so that's not the role I'd be interested in playing," he gave her a smug smile. "And it wasn't sudden."

Rose laughed. "You mean to say you fancy me since the train ride, then?"

"No. I can't pinpoint exactly when, but I'd noticed you before," they were climbing the stairs to the fifth floor, where a sort of common room for Prefects was located, opposite Head Boy and Girl Headquarters. "We'd just never really talked before that and you've been on my mind more since then," he ran a hand over his hair, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"I heard gossip about you going out with Rachel McCormac just last week, so your story doesn't really add up," she squinted her eyes slightly at him, as if daring him to deny it.

Scorpius didn't even flinch before replying. "You didn't let me ask you after our little meet and greet in the Forbidden Forest and avoided me rather successfully the following weeks," Rose shifted her books in her arms and awkwardly drew her gaze away. "You see what you've reduced me to? Taking out girls who can't even engage in stimulating conversation!"

"Oh, so that's what you were after with Rachel; stimulating conversation?" Rose raised her eyebrows, disbelieving him, but giving him credit for his nonchalance.

"How shallow do you think I am? There has to be more to a girl than just her pretty snoggable face," Scorpius mocked offense, putting a hand to his chest.

"'Snoggable' isn't a word," she remarked, not commenting any further.

"See? Dating bimbos for so long is affecting my intellectual faculties. You need to save me!" Scorpius added dramatically.

"I doubt I could," Rose's tone was dry.

"Where's your Gryffindor spirit, woman? I thought saving people and the world was the whole point of your House!" he put in.

"I personally wouldn't make it a quest to solve that particular issue of yours. I have enough on my plate as it is," she answered firmly. Then Rose smiled sweetly, which by now made him realize she was about to say or do something unpleasant. "Plus, I've a bit more wits about me than the average teenage girl-"

"The absence of false modesty is indeed refreshing," he interrupted.

"-and I recognize a lame pick up strategy when I see one," Rose finished, not the slightest bit nonplussed.

"Well, now you've just hurt my feelings," and despite the mocking tone, she saw a glimpse of genuine disappointment in his eyes, that gave her a pang in the chest for some reason.

Rose sighed and stopped walking, lagging behind for a bit. Scorpius had not been expecting her midstride pause and walked a few paces ahead, before turning back to her.

"Look, even if you were serious about the whole thing, I've just been really busy lately," she explained. "I've been taking extra classes and I've been allowed an apprenticeship of sorts in the Infirmary. It's an amazing opportunity for my future career as a Healer. I don't have the time or attention span for dating!" Rose was going to start walking again, but Scorpius put his hand on her arm to prevent her.

The serious look on his face startled her, as it was unsual on his ever mischievous countenance.

"I promise you, I meant it. I want to get to know you," Rose gulped at the intense way he was holding her gaze. "Come to Hogsmeade with me," he repeated his earlier sentence.

Rose was silent for so long, Scorpius wondered if she was even going to say anything back.

"Fine. You want to get to know me, right?" she asked.

"Yes," he tried to suppress the excitement in his voice.

"Well, we're not going to Hogsmeade," Rose stated.

"What? But I thought you just said-" he argued indignantly.

_Yeah, Scorpius. Real smooth, _he thought.

She grinned, amused at his eagerness, before it was her turn to interrupt him. "I said 'fine'. I _didn't _say I wanted to go to Hogsmeade," she rolled her eyes before continuing. "Every date I've ever been on has been to Hogsmeade. I could safely bet it's where all of yours have been too. It's boring," Rose paused. "If you can find some way to surprise me and do something else that is fun, then you can get to know me. But not before that and not necessarily in a date way," there was finality in her voice.

She stared at him a moment before deciding enough had been said. Scorpius didn't hold her back as she started to walk away again, stunned as he was.

There was a mixture of feelings flowing through him at that moment: giddy nervousness, disbelief, happiness and an irresistible desire to smile widely.

"Hey, there's a cupboard just a few paces ahead and snogging is fun!" he shouted after her, meaning only to make her look at him and tease her.

Rose only whirled around to give him a narrow-eyed look that clearly stated 'don't make me regret this' and kept going.

Scorpius yielded to a grin that showed nearly all his white teeth, before following her through the corridor and into the room of their Prefect meeting.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Sorry about the long delay, guys! I've been shifting from place to place, because I'm hunting for a room to rent near my Uni and... Well. I've been staying here and there with friends and haven't got internet regularly, so I don't write as often, since I normally do it in my email drafts.  
>That piece of personal drama aside, I hope you had happy holidays and will have an awesome 2015! Thank you so much to anyone who favoritedfollowed and especially for the feedback (I'm not sure if I answered everyone's reviews, because sometimes I would see the message, but didn't get time to type one back... I'm sorry if that was the case, I assure you I appreciated every single one and you're welcome to complain about not getting an answer!)

This is not the date yet, but I'm hoping you will enjoy all the same.  
>P.s: Sorry for any mistakes you may find, I didn't get time to read it over as thoroughly as I usually do.<p>

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><p><strong>4.<strong>

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><p>"Stop thrashing or I <em>will <em>put you into an induced comma, Malfoy," Rose hissed as she tended to a deep gash on his brow, a couple of days later.

"Well, that blue stuff you're putting on my head is making it sting, what did you expect!" Scorpius growled.

"You're lucky you're not Muggle-born, otherwise you'd be getting stitches, bandages and a lot of time in the infirmary instead. Would you prefer that?" he cringed at her harsh words and counted himself as one of the fortunate indeed.

"No," he mumbled, a lot quieter now.

"This 'blue stuff' - as you so elequently put it - is a strong brew of Wilhelmina Frey's potion for disinfecting and mending broken tissue and flesh. It has a numbing effect incorporated, which earlier potions lacked, so that sting is probably as bad as the pain will get from now on. In your case, I expect it to kick into full force in about six hours. There won't even be a scar left," Rose continued, rather too cheerful for his tastes.

"Thanks for the lesson on potion history, Weasley," Scorpius replied dryly. Rose cleansed the wound with a gauze and a sharp pain coursed through his head.

"Ow! Mind what you're doing, woman, do you want to kill me?" Scorpius gave her an annoyed look.

The right corner of her lips twitched upwards. "No. I want you to stop being a cry baby and thank me properly for helping you out."

"You're 'helping out'? It feels as though you're just cracking my skull open and putting me out of my misery," he scoffed.

Rose picked up another gauze impregnate with 'blue stuff' and pressed it tight against his head, making Scorpius hiss.

"I suggest you keep such comments to yourself. While I'm in a position to hurt you, anyway," she smiled sweetly, but he wasn't buying it. "Oh, c'mon Malfoy, you can't honestly tell me you expected a cut this deep to just heal painlessly," Rose shifted her eyes from the wound to his, raising an eyebrow.

"I suppose you're right. But when the Chudley Cannon's coach is watching you practice, you tend not to care as much if a bludger is chasing you. I got knocked off the broom after I'd just scored my seventh goal, so I guess it wasn't that bad," Scorpius informed her, with a cocky grin that turned to a grimace as she applied the medicine.

Rose snorted, but there was more amusement than derision behind it. "Should've known. Quidditch: giving healers something to do since Merlin knows how long," she put the gauze down and dipped a new one into the potion. Scorpius found that his pain was a lot worse, now that her hand and the potion had been removed. There were black spots in his vision and he felt dizzy. "You're trying out for a position, then? It's unusual for them to come and look at players who aren't graduating."

"Well, not exactly. They're actually here for Trent Flint," he explained. "But if I show potential, I might get a scholarship once I'm done with Hogwarts. It wouldn't be the first time they decided to give someone they weren't initially considering a chance. Then we'd see how things would work out. I'm not just gonna drop out," Scorpius winced as she pressed the gauze onto the wound again, but was silently grateful as his pain decreased significantly.

"Hmmm. I see. That's good, yeah? Keeping your options open. Are you applying for any other teams?" Rose seemed genuinely interested. Mostly she wanted to distract him from his current predicament and keep him actively speaking at the same time.

"Not really. I've been a fan of the Cannons since I was little. Dad doesn't care for Quidditch, but I had outside influence," Scorpius seemed entertained by some distant memory, a grin forming itself on his lips.

"That's surprising," Rose commented, eyes going slightly wide as she thought back to her own father, himself a faithful Cannons fan and a confessed apologist of keeping as little contact with the Malfoys as possible.

Who would have known the youngest of his nemesis' bloodline shared his colors when it came to the Quidditch field?

Rose wondered briefly whether this was the only common ground there was between them.

"Not a fan of the Cannons, then?" Scorpius asked, wondering if she even liked Quidditch.

"Dad only wishes. Holyhead Harpies through and through," Rose's grin was somewhat wolfish as she looked into his eyes. He laughed and regretted it almost instantly, as pain resurfaced.

"Your dad is into them?" he smiled lightly. "Hey, didn't your Aunt, Mrs. Potter I mean, used to play for the Harpies?" Scorpius added, not wanting the conversation to die down.

He was having a good time. Too bad he pretty much had to crack his skull open for it to happen.

"No, the Chudley Cannons are Dad's _religion_," Rose chuckled, shaking her head as she thought back to the moment when she had revealed herself a Harpies fan.

Her Aunt Ginny had been accused of misguiding her and got yelled at.

It did not end up well for Ron Weasley, though; Ginny Potter had feist and temper to best his any day.

"And yeah, she did, how did you know?" Rose's curiosity was spiked. "It's been ages since then! Barely anyone our age is aware of it," Scorpius thought the way she was looking at him was cute.

"I... uh," Scorpius stopped, panic rising as he realized he couldn't think of anything to say but the truth. Rose gave him a pointed look and he sighed, defeated. "Oh, fine, I read one of my Aunt's old Witch Weekly editions and there was an interview with her in which she mentioned it. Happy now you've emasculated me?"

Rose was stunned into a surprised silence for a few seconds.

Then she laughed. Hard. "No, but I'm wondering now if your earlier invitations to take me to Hogsmeade were actually your attempt at becoming my fashionably wise gay friend," her eyes watered with mirth at this point.

"Oh, so if a guy reads Witch Weekly, he's automatically gay?" scoffed an incensed Scorpius.

"It's called _Witch _Weekly; not Wizard. I think what that entails is pretty self-explanatory," she had stopped laughing, but her amusement didn't seem to die down.

"Well, yeah, but there are some interesting stuff in there. When you're really bored, that is. And I'm told it's halfway decent now that the magazine has a new director. Fleur something or other. She's french," he was trying to get himself out of the situation, but it felt like he was just digging a bigger hole to bury himself in.

"Fleur Delacour," Rose put in neutrally.

"A-ha! So you do read it?" Scorpius was a bit hopeful that she might let it go if she did.

"Merlin, no!" fat chance, then; she would never forget it. "Fleur's my aunt. She's married to my uncle Bill, but she kept her maiden name. It's very... _avant-garde_."

"Weasley, who aren't you related to?" her numerous family was something that had always somewhat puzzled him; Scorpius had only his parents, his grandparents, his aunt, uncle and a cousin to account for.

"A lot of people, but I do have a big family and I'm quite proud of it, so teasing me isn't going to make you feel better about reading Witch Weekly," she said in a singsong voice.

"I don't read Witch Weekly! I _read_ - past tense, thank you very much - a bunch of them in a row, because I was bored and that was all the reading material other than geeky stuff that I could find at my Aunt and Uncle's summer house: vintage girly magazines," he paused and then started gesturing vigorously. "You bloody feminists! You demand equality and such, but then if a guy so much as goes through an article in a magazine supposedly directed exclusively towards females, he's obviously not straight! Well, how are men supposed to know what is on the female mind?" he argued, feeling the pain increase as he frowned.

"Relax, Malfoy! I'm only joking," she was enjoying the sight of him so thoroughly embarrassed.

Scorpius was altogether very annoyed and didn't say anything back, only letting out a grunt that indicated as much.

Rose applied a final ointment to his wound, critically examining the results. She seemed pleased as she wrapped up the curative.

"There, you big baby. All done. You'll need to stay here in the Infirmary tonight, but by tomorrow you'll be back to your dorm," she smiled at him.

"Seriously? But you said in six hours everything would be fine!" he whined.

"Yes, but Ms. Windmere will need to check on you every other hour and do a follow up in the morning to make sure everything is alright. I'll go call her right now, so she can assess whether I've solved the matter effectively," there was an unusual sort of shyness in her face and the tips of her ears turned pink.

"This is really important to you, isn't it?" he said suddenly, startling her out of the sort of daze she had put herself into while examining his head one last time, to make sure she had not forgotten any procedures.

"What?" she asked, not fully all the way down on Earth yet.

"This internship. You really want this. To be a Healer, I mean," she pushed him back, so he would lay against the pillows and rest.

"Yes," her voice was almost a whisper, but it was firm. "It's all I've ever wanted to do, since I can remember. I can't afford to screw up here or I'll never get into the St. Mungos Healing Programme," Rose paused, staring at the jar in her hand which contained the potion. "There are other Healing academies and programmes, but St. Mungos' is the best and I want it," her face lit up with the force of her determination and all uncertainty seemed to evaporate.

"I'm sure you will get it, Rose. You'll get anywhere you want. You're brilliant," Rose merely blinked owlishly, surprised at his use of her first name. A blush crept into her cheeks as she realized he was complimenting her.

_Rose Weasley doesn't _do _blushing. Stop it! _she chastised herself, only causing her blush to deepen further.

"I've got to... er, go find Ms. Windmere. You'll be fine for now, Malfoy?" she asked, avoiding his eyes.

"Yes. Are we still on for Saturday?" his tone was hopeful.

"If your head is okay by then," Rose smiled a little. "And the current Witch Weekly edition isn't keeping you overly busy," her smile shifted into a smirk, his own dripping from his lips.

"You have a death wish, Weasley," Scorpius narrowed his eyes at her menancingly, but she only laughed.

"No, but you will, if you take me somewhere boring on Saturday!"

He opened his mouth to say something, but she was already out of the room. Despite his annoyance at her teasing, Scorpius found himself smiling.


End file.
